26-year-old man fatally shot in face while hunting in Iowa, wildlife officials say

A 26-year-old man was fatally shot while hunting waterfowl in Iowa, according to state wildlife officials.

Seth Egelhoff, of Illinois, was part of a group of four hunting at the Bays Branch Wildlife Area in Iowa on Saturday, Nov. 11, Jeremy King, a state Department of Natural Resources conservation officer, told McClatchy News in a phone interview.

At about 1 p.m., the Guthrie County Sheriff’s Office received a call that a hunter, Egelhoff, had been shot in the face at the wildlife area, officials said in a Nov. 12 news release.

First responders arrived but despite life-saving efforts, he died “shortly after leaving the scene,” the release said.

Egelhoff was shot with a 12-gauge shotgun loaded with steel birdshot, according to King.

Based on evidence collected and accounts from others in Egelhoff’s group, “the fatal shot was delivered accidentally by a member of his own hunting party while trying to harvest a duck,” King said.

“We have no evidence to believe there was any malicious or ill intent by any member of the hunting party,” he added. “It was purely accidental … all evidence points that way.”

Bays Branch Wildlife Area is roughly 50 miles northwest of Des Moines.

This story was originally published November 13, 2023 at 8:31 AM with the headline "26-year-old man fatally shot in face while hunting in Iowa, wildlife officials say."